JP7126437B2 - Lid member mounting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lid member mounting device.

As a device for attaching a lid to a container, for example, a lidding device for containers disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. In this container lidding device, after the lid is sucked by the suction member and supplied to the opening of the container, the lid is attached to the container by pressing it with the operating means.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-072009

In the lid member mounting device of Patent Document 1, when the lid is supplied to the container, if the lid is displaced from the container, there is a possibility that the lid cannot be reliably attached to the container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to provide a lid member attachment device capable of securely attaching a lid member to a container.

A lid member attaching device according to an aspect of the present invention is a lid member attaching device for attaching a lid member to a container, comprising: a first arm; an end effector, a second arm, a second end effector attached to the second arm and having a second elongated member, and a controller, wherein the controller is mounted on the container. After rocking the first elongated member and the second elongated member on the placed lid member, at least one elongated member of the first elongated member and the second elongated member is moved. It is configured to operate the first arm and the second arm so as to move toward the container.

According to this configuration, even if the lid member is displaced from the container, the lid member is arranged at an appropriate position with respect to the container by swinging the lid member by swinging the long members. By pressing down the lid member whose position is adjusted in this way with the long member, the lid member can be reliably attached to the container.

In this lid member attaching device, the control section moves the first elongated member and the second elongated member to predetermined positions on the lid member in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member. from the predetermined position to the other side for a first distance, reciprocating and swinging for a second distance longer than the first distance, and then moving the second elongated member to the lid member. the first arm and the second arm so as to move the first elongated member toward the container on the lid member on the one side of the second elongated member. may be configured to operate.

According to this configuration, the lid member is tilted so that the other side is lower than the one side by moving each elongated member to the other side more than the one side. While the other side is held down by the second elongated member, the one side is pushed down by the first elongated member. Thereby, the lid member can be securely attached to the container.

Further, in the lid member attaching device, the control section moves the first elongated member in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member after the first elongated member and the second elongated member are swung. After moving the first elongated member and the second elongated member in the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member so that the overlap between the member and the second elongated member increases, the elongated member is moved. It may be configured to operate the first arm and the second arm so as to move toward the container.

According to this configuration, by increasing the overlap between the first elongated member and the second elongated member, it is possible to increase the contact area between the first elongated member and the second elongated member and the lid member. . Therefore, the lid member can be stably pressed by the first elongated member and the second elongated member, and the lid member can be attached to the container.

The lid member attaching device may be configured by a robot having the first arm and the second arm as a pair of arms. In this lid member attaching device, the robot may be a dual-arm robot in which a pair of the arms are coaxial with each other and provided on a base.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION This invention has the structure demonstrated above, and is effective in the ability to provide the lid member attachment apparatus which can attach a lid member to a container reliably.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a lid member attaching device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control unit in FIG. 1; FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing a first end effector. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing a second end effector. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the lid member is pushed down toward the container by the first elongated member and the second elongated member, as viewed from one side in the conveying direction. FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the lid member is pushed down toward the container by the first elongated member and the second elongated member, viewed from one side in the opposing direction. 6 is a perspective view showing a lid member mounting system including the lid member mounting device of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a top view of the lid attachment system of FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 8(a) is a diagram of the cover member sucked by each sucking portion. FIG. 8(b) is a view of the lid member in contact with each long member. FIG.8(c) is the figure which mounted the cover member on the container. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram of each long member being swung. FIG. 9(b) is a view of the tilted cover member held down by the second long member. FIG. 9(c) is a view of the lid member pressed down by the first elongated member.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in all the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted. Further, in all the drawings, constituent elements for explaining the present invention are extracted and illustrated, and illustration of other constituent elements may be omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment)
<Configuration of Lid Member Mounting Device>
As shown in FIG. 1, a lid member attaching device 10 according to the present embodiment is a device for attaching a lid member to an opening of a container, and for example, a robot is used. For the robot, for example, a horizontal articulated robot is used. However, the lid member attaching device 10 is not limited to this, and may be a robot such as a vertical articulated robot.

The lid member attaching device 10 includes a first arm 20 , a second arm 30 , a first end effector 40 , a second end effector 50 , a controller 60 and a carriage 11 . For example, the control unit 60 is housed inside the carriage 11 .

A base shaft 14 is fixed to the upper surface of the carriage 11 . A first arm 20 and a second arm 30 are provided on the base shaft 14 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis L<b>1 passing through the axis of the base shaft 14 . The first arm 20 and the second arm 30 are provided so as to have a vertical height difference. Thus, the lid member attaching device 10 is, for example, a coaxial dual-arm SCARA robot that controls the coaxially arranged first arm 20 and second arm 30 by one control unit 60 . Note that the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 are configured to operate independently or in association with each other.

The first arm 20 has a first arm portion 21 and a first wrist portion 22 . The second arm 30 has a second arm portion 31 and a second wrist portion 32 . Although the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 have substantially the same configuration here, they are not limited to this. For example, a form in which the arm portions 21 and 31 and the wrist portions 22 and 32 have different configurations between the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 may be adopted.

The first arm portion 21 is composed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped first link 21a and a first link 21b, and the second arm portion 31 is composed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped second link 31a and second b link 31b.

The base ends of the links 21a and 31a are connected to the base shaft 14 via the rotary joint J1, and rotate about the rotation axis L1 by the rotary joint J1. Each of the links 21b and 31b has its base end connected to the tip of each link 21a and 31a via a revolute joint J2, and rotates around the rotation axis L2 by the revolute joint J2.

Each wrist part 22, 32 is connected to the tip part of each link 21b, 31b via a direct-acting joint J3, and can move up and down with respect to each link 21b, 31b. A rotating joint J4 is provided at the lower end of each wrist portion 22, 32, and each mounting portion 24, 34 is provided at the lower end of the rotating joint J4. Thereby, the end effectors 40 and 50 attached to the attachment portions 24 and 34 can be rotated about the rotation axis L3 by the rotary joint J4.

The first end effector 40 is provided at the tip of the first arm 20 and detachably connected to the first wrist portion 22 by the first mounting portion 24 . The second end effector 50 is provided at the tip of the second arm 30 and detachably connected to the second wrist portion 32 by the second mounting portion 34 . Details of the first end effector 40 and the second end effector 50 will be described later.

Each of the joints J1 to J4 of the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 is servo-controlled by the control unit 60 as an example of an actuator that relatively rotates or raises or lowers the two members connected to each joint. A drive motor (not shown), such as a servo motor, is provided. Further, each of the joints J1 to J4 has a rotation sensor (not shown) such as an encoder for detecting the rotational position of the drive motor, and a current sensor (not shown) for detecting the current controlling the rotation of the drive motor. ) and are provided.

<Configuration of control unit>
As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 60 includes a computing unit 60a such as a CPU, a storage unit 60b such as ROM and RAM, and a servo control unit 60c. be. Note that the control unit 60 may be configured by a single control unit that performs centralized control, or may be configured by a plurality of control units that cooperate with each other to perform distributed control. Further, although the configuration in which the storage unit 60b is arranged in the control unit 60 is adopted, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the storage unit 60b is provided separately from the control unit 60 may be adopted.

The storage unit 60b stores information such as a basic program as a robot controller and various fixed data. The calculation unit 60a controls various operations of the lid member attaching device 10 by reading and executing software such as a basic program stored in the storage unit 60b. That is, the computing section 60a generates a control command for the lid member attaching device 10 and outputs it to the servo control section 60c. The servo control unit 60c is configured to control the driving of the servo motors corresponding to the joints J1 to J4 of the arms 20 and 30 of the lid member attaching device 10 based on the control commands generated by the calculation unit 60a. there is

<Configuration of first end effector and second end effector>
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, the first end effector 40 includes a first base portion 41, a first rotation portion 42, a first support portion 43, a first elongated member 44, a first adsorption portion 45 and a It has a first stretchable portion 46 . The first base portion 41 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a mounted portion (not shown) mounted on the first mounting portion 24 on its upper surface. It is connected.

The first rotating portion 42 has, for example, a cylindrical shape and a first rotating shaft 42 a perpendicular to the side surface of the first base portion 41 . One end of the first rotating portion 42 is connected to the first base portion 41 so as to be rotatable about a first rotating shaft 42 a by a rotating actuator (not shown), and the other end is fixed to the first support portion 43 .

The first support portion 43 is attached to the first base portion 41 via the first rotating portion 42, and supports the first elongated member 44 and the first adsorption portion 45 in the direction away from the first base portion 41. . As a result, the first long member 44 and the first suction portion 45 are attached to the first base portion 41 via the first support portion 43 so as to be rotatable about the first rotation shaft 42 a of the first rotation portion 42 . there is

The first elongated member 44 extends, for example, in a direction parallel to the first rotating shaft 42a of the first rotating portion 42, and is formed of a square bar having a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction 44a. The first elongated member 44 has an end face orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction 44a and a side face along the first longitudinal direction 44a. One of the side surfaces of the first elongated member 44 is fixed to the first support portion 43, and has a side surface (first contact surface 44b) opposite to the surface fixed to the support portion 43. ing.

The first suction part 45 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and has a cap shape having a first suction port 45a at its tip. The first adsorption portion 45 has a proximal end connected to the first pipe 45b and a distal end opening on the side opposite to the first support portion 43 in the direction orthogonal to the first longitudinal direction 44a.

The first adsorption unit 45 is connected to a vacuum generator (not shown) through a first pipe 45b. The vacuum generator is, for example, a device such as a vacuum pump or CONVUM (registered trademark) that generates a negative pressure in the first adsorption portion 45, and is provided on the carriage 11 or the like.

The first pipe 45b is provided with, for example, an on-off valve (not shown). By opening and closing the first pipe 45b with the on-off valve, adsorption and release by the first adsorption section 45 are performed. A controller 60 controls the operation of the vacuum generator and the opening and closing of the on-off valve. As a result, the internal space of the first adsorption portion 45 can be sucked through the first pipe 45b, and the lid member can be adsorbed.

The first pipe 45b is connected to the first expansion/contraction portion 46. As shown in FIG. For example, the first expansion/contraction part 46 is a linear actuator and expands/contracts the first pipe 45b. As a result, the first suction portion 45 provided on the first pipe 45b can move forward and backward relative to the first contact surface 44b of the first long member 44. As shown in FIG. Note that the first adsorption portion 45 is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the first long member 44 in the direction perpendicular to the expansion/contraction direction.

The first elongated member 44 and the first suction portion 45 can be moved by the rotary joints J1, J2, J4 (FIG. 1) and translational joint J3 (FIG. 1) of the first arm 20. As shown in FIG. Thus, the first arm 20 can move the first elongated member 44 and the first adsorption portion 45 .

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 4, the second end effector 50 includes a second base portion 51, a second rotating portion 52, a second support portion 53, a second elongated member 54, a second suction portion 55 and a It has a second stretchable portion 56 . Since each part of the second end effector 50 is the same as each part of the first end effector 40, the description thereof will be omitted.

<Configuration of Lid Member Mounting System>
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lid member mounting system 70 includes the lid member mounting device 10, a transport section 71, and a supply section 72. As shown in FIGS. The conveying unit 71 supplies the container 80 to the lid member mounting device 10 , the supply unit 72 supplies the lid member 81 to the lid member mounting device 10 , and the lid member mounting device 10 mounts the lid member 81 to the container 80 .

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4, the container 80 is made of resin such as polystyrene and polypropylene, and is a container for storing food such as a lunch box. The container 80 has, for example, a circular bottom portion 80a and an opening portion 80b. The diameter of the bottom portion 80a is smaller than the diameter of the opening portion 80b. However, the shape of the container 80 is not limited to this.

Further, the container 80 is provided with an annular stepped portion 80c extending in the circumferential direction on the inner surface thereof. The step portion 80c is formed so as to increase in diameter from the opening portion 80b toward the bottom portion 80a.

The lid member 81 is made of resin such as polystyrene and polypropylene, and covers the opening 80 b of the container 80 . The lid member 81 has, for example, a circular top portion 81a and an outer peripheral edge 81b. be. However, the shape of the lid member 81 is not limited to this, and may be a flat plate shape or the like.

The lid member 81 is an inner fitting lid whose outer peripheral edge 81b is fitted to the stepped portion 80c inside the container 80. As shown in FIG. However, the lid member 81 may be an external fitting lid in which the container 80 fits inside the lid member 81 as long as it can cover the opening 80 b of the container 80 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in a lid member attachment system 70, for example, the lid member attachment device 10 and a supply portion 72 are arranged so as to sandwich a conveying portion 71 therebetween. Note that the direction in which the container 80 is transported by the transport unit 71 is referred to as the transport direction. A direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, in which the lid member attaching device 10 and the supply unit 72 face each other with the conveying unit 71 interposed therebetween, is referred to as a facing direction. Also, the conveying direction and the facing direction are included in the horizontal direction and are orthogonal to the vertical direction. Further, in the facing direction, the side closer to the supply section 72 than the lid member attaching device 10 is called a first side (one side), and the side opposite to the first side is called a second side (other side).

The transport unit 71 is, for example, a belt conveyor and extends long in the transport direction. For example, the lid member attaching device 10 is positioned in front of the conveying section 71 so that the first end effector 40 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying section 71 and the second end effector 50 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction. is provided in

A position adjusting portion 73 is provided in the conveying portion 71 on the upstream side of the lid member attaching device 10 . The position adjustment section 73 has a first guide section 73 a and a second guide section 73 b and adjusts the position of the container 80 on the transport section 71 .

The first guide portion 73a and the second guide portion 73b are flat plate-shaped, spaced apart from each other in the opposing direction, and provided parallel to the transport direction. In the conveying section 71, the first guide section 73a is arranged on the lid member attaching device 10 side, and the second guide section 73b is arranged on the supply section 72 side. The distance between the first guide portion 73 a and the second guide portion 73 b is set slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the container 80 .

Therefore, the position of the container 80 in the opposing direction is adjusted by passing the container 80 conveyed by the conveying portion 71 between the first guide portion 73a and the second guide portion 73b. As a result, the container 80 is arranged at a predetermined position with respect to the lid member attaching device 10 in the opposing direction. At least one of the first guide portion 73a and the second guide portion 73b may move in the opposing direction.

The supply unit 72 is a mounting table that supplies the cover member 81 . Depending on the number of end effectors in the lid attachment device 10, two feeders 72 are provided in the lid attachment system 70 in this embodiment. The two supply units 72 are arranged side by side in the transport direction, one supply unit 72 facing the first end effector 40 and the other supply unit 72 facing the second end effector 50 . The supply part 72 has a supply port 72a perpendicular to the facing direction and facing the end effectors 40 and 50, and supplies the cover member 81 from the supply port 72a.

In the supply portion 72, the top portion 81a is closer to the supply port 72a than the opening portion 80b, and the lid member 81 is erected so that the top portion 81a is perpendicular to the facing direction. As a result, the cover member 81 can be supplied to the supply portion 72 from the opening on the side opposite to the supply port 72a, which is excellent in workability. In addition, dust or the like is less likely to adhere to the lid member 81 in the supply portion 72, and the supply portion 72 can hold the lid member 81 in a sanitary manner.

<Method of operating the lid member mounting device>
A method of operating the lid member mounting device 10 in the lid member mounting system 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) to 9(c). This operating method is executed by the control unit 60 .

First, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the control unit 60 causes the first suction port 45a of the first suction unit 45 and the second suction port 55a of the second suction unit 55 to face each other. The first rotating portion 42 and the second rotating portion 52 are rotated about the first rotating shaft 42a and the second rotating shaft 52a, respectively, so as to be orthogonal to each other. However, if the cover member 81 of the supply portion 72 can be sucked by the first suction port 45a and the second suction port 55a, the first suction port 45a and the second suction port 55a are not limited to this direction.

In this posture, the long members 44 and 54 are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and parallel to the transport direction. Also, the first elongated member 44 is arranged above the first adsorption portion 45 , and the second elongated member 54 is arranged below the second adsorption portion 55 . The first adsorption section 45 and the second adsorption section 55 are arranged along the transport direction. Therefore, the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 can be rotated compactly without interfering with each other.

Subsequently, the control unit 60 extends the first pipe 45b by the first expansion/contraction part 46 and causes the first adsorption part 45 to protrude from the first contact surface 44b of the first long member 44 toward the supply part 72 side. Further, the control unit 60 extends the second pipe 55b by the second expansion/contraction part 56, and causes the second suction part 55 to protrude from the second contact surface 54b of the second long member 54 toward the supply part 72 side.

Further, the control unit 60 controls to open the on-off valves of the first pipe 45b and the second pipe 55b, sucks the first suction port 45a at the center of the cover member 81 of the supply part 72 on one side, and The second suction port 55a is sucked to the center of the lid member 81 of the supply portion 72 of the liquid. The first suction port 45a and the second suction port 55a may be sucked simultaneously or sequentially. Each suction position is not limited to this as long as the first contact surface 44 b of the first elongated member 44 and the second contact surface 54 b of the second elongated member 54 face the lid member 81 .

Then, the control section 60 moves the first end effector 40 and the second end effector 50 away from the supply section 72 by the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 respectively. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 60 rotates the first rotating unit 42 and the second rotating unit 52 so that the first attracting unit 45 and the second attracting unit 55 face the conveying unit 71 below. do. As a result, the contact surfaces 44b and 54b face downward and are arranged on a predetermined surface such as a horizontal surface.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8(a), each of the suction portions 45 and 55 protrudes from each of the long members 44 and 54. As shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the controller 60 contracts the pipes 45b and 55b by the expansion/contraction portions 46 and 56, respectively. As a result, the cover member 81 sucked by the sucking portions 45 and 55 is pulled toward the long members 44 and 54, and the cover member 81 comes into contact with the contact surfaces 44b and 54b.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of containers 80 are conveyed by the conveying unit 71 while being spaced apart in the conveying direction. At this time, the position of the container 80 in the facing direction is arranged at a predetermined position from the lid member attaching device 10 by the position adjusting portion 73 . Note that the transport unit 71 may transport the containers 80 continuously. Alternatively, the conveying operation may be stopped when the container 80 reaches in front of the lid member attaching device 10 . In this case, the transport unit 71 may perform an intermittent operation in which the transport operation and its stop are repeated, or may stop the transport operation in response to a signal from a sensor that detects the container 80 or the like.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the control section 60 moves the long members 44 and 54 and the suction sections 45 and 55 downward. As a result, the lid member 81 sucked by the first suction port 45a of the first suction part 45 is superimposed on one container 80 of the two containers 80 arranged in front of the lid member mounting device 10, and the other container The lid member 81 sucked by the second suction port 55 a of the second suction portion 55 is superimposed on 80 .

At this time, each elongate member 44 , 54 extends in the conveying direction over adjacent containers 80 and is placed on these two containers 80 . On the lid member 81, the first adsorption section 45 and the second adsorption section 55 are arranged in the transport direction. In addition, in the facing direction, the first elongated member 44 is arranged on the first side of the suction portions 45 and 55, and the second elongated member 54 is arranged on the second side of the suction portions 45 and 55. . For this reason, the long members 44 and 54 have the suction portions 45 and 55 sandwiched therebetween, and their longitudinal directions 44a and 54a are parallel to the conveying direction. The contact surfaces 44 b and 54 b are horizontally arranged and arranged on the lid member 81 .

Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, the control unit 60 controls the on-off valves to be closed, and stops the adsorption of the first adsorption unit 45 and the second adsorption unit 55 . Thereby, the lid member 81 is placed on the container 80 . The pipes 45 b and 55 b may be contracted by the expansion/contraction portions 46 and 56 so that the suction portions 45 and 55 are arranged above the lid member 81 .

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9A , the control unit 60 operates the arms 20 and 30 so that the long members 44 and 54 swing on the lid member 81 . For example, the control unit 60 reciprocates the long members 44 and 54 on the lid member 81 from a predetermined position to one side in a direction perpendicular to the first longitudinal direction 44a by a first distance, It reciprocates and swings to the other side a second distance longer than the first distance.

The predetermined position is, for example, the position of each long member 44 , 54 which is at a predetermined distance from each suction portion 45 , 55 when each suction portion 45 , 55 is arranged at the center of the lid member 81 . Here, the first adsorption section 45 and the first elongated member 44 are in a predetermined positional relationship with each other in directions other than the expansion and contraction directions of the adsorption sections 45 and 55 (for example, the facing direction and the transport direction). The portion 55 and the second elongated member 54 have a predetermined positional relationship with each other.

Specifically, the control unit 60 moves the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 by a first distance (e.g., 5 mm) from a predetermined position to one side (e.g., upstream side) in the transport direction. After being moved, it is moved a first distance to the other side (for example, downstream side) in the transport direction. As a result, each of the long members 44 and 54 reciprocates from a predetermined position on the lid member 81 to one side in the transport direction.

Further, the control unit 60 moves the long members 44 and 54 from the predetermined position to the other side in the transport direction by the first distance, and then moves them to the one side in the transport direction by the first distance. As a result, each of the long members 44 and 54 reciprocates from a predetermined position on the lid member 81 to the other side in the transport direction.

Further, the control unit 60 moves the long members 44 and 54 from the predetermined position to the first side in the opposing direction by the first distance, and then to the second side in the opposing direction by the first distance. As a result, each of the long members 44 and 54 reciprocates from a predetermined position on the lid member 81 to the first side in the opposing direction.

Finally, the control unit 60 moves each elongate member 44, 54 a second distance (for example, 10 mm) from the predetermined position to the second side in the opposing direction, and then moves the elongated members 44, 54 to the first side in the opposing direction. Move 2 distances. As a result, each of the long members 44 and 54 reciprocates on the lid member 81 from a predetermined position to the second side in the opposing direction.

In this manner, the lid member 81 is rocked on the container 80 by rocking the long members 44 and 54 in the horizontal direction while contacting the lid member 81 . Therefore, even if the lid member 81 is displaced from the container 80 in the horizontal direction, the lid member 81 fits inside the container 80 and the position of the lid member 81 with respect to the container 80 is adjusted. Therefore, the lid member 81 is positioned with respect to the container 80 so as to cover the opening 80b.

In addition, the reciprocating distance (second distance) of each elongated member 44, 54 toward the second side is longer than the distance of movement (first distance) in other directions. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9B, the lid member 81 is inclined by, for example, 5 degrees or more and 10 degrees or less so that the second side is lower than the first side. For example, the lid member 81 is tilted so that the first side of the outer peripheral edge 81b does not fit into the stepped portion 80c of the container 80 and the second side fits.

Subsequently, the control unit 60 once moves the long members 44 and 54 upward and separates them from the lid member 81 . Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the control unit 60 moves the first elongated member 44 extending from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side, and moves the first elongated member 44 extending from the downstream side to the upstream side. 2 Move the long member 54 upstream.

As a result, the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 move in the conveying direction on the lid member 81 so that the total length of each other is shortened and the mutual overlap increases in the facing direction. . Thus, the areas of the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 that overlap the lid member 81 in the vertical direction are increased. The contact areas of the contact surfaces 44b and 54b with the lid member 81 are increased. Alternatively, the first elongated member 44 or the second elongated member 54 may be moved in the transport direction to increase the overlap between the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 in the opposing direction.

Then, the control unit 60 moves the second elongated member 54 toward the container 80 located therebelow so that the second contact surface 54 b contacts the lid member 81 . Here, the second long member 54 is arranged on the second side of the center of the lid member 81 so that the second longitudinal direction 54a is parallel to the conveying direction and the second contact surface 54b is horizontal. be done.

After that, the control unit 60 moves the first elongated member 44 toward the container 80 below while keeping the second longitudinal direction 54a parallel to the conveying direction and the first contact surface 44b horizontal. As a result, the first elongated member 44 presses the lid member 81 toward the container 80 on the first side of the center of the lid member 81 .

At this time, while the second elongated member 54 is pressing the lower side of the lid member 81 inclined with respect to the opening 80 b of the container 80 , the first elongated member 44 pushes the higher side of the lid member 81 toward the container 80 . push in. As a result, the second side of the lid member 81 is pushed down with the first side of the outer peripheral edge 81b fitted to the stepped portion 80c of the container 80 as a fulcrum, and the second side is also fitted to the stepped portion 80c as shown in FIG. As a result, the lid member 81 is more securely attached to the container 80 while the air escapes from the gap between the lid member 81 and the container 80 . Further, the pressure applied when pushing the lid member 81 can be reduced, and deformation of the lid member 81 can be prevented.

Furthermore, the overlap between the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 in the opposing direction is greater during the pressing operation shown in FIG. 9C than during the swinging operation shown in FIG. 9A. The first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 are moved in the transport direction. Thereby, the contact area of each of the long members 44 and 54 with respect to the lid member 81 can be increased. Therefore, the long members 44 and 54 can stably press the lid member 81 onto the container 80 . Further, the pressure applied when pushing the lid member 81 can be reduced, and deformation of the lid member 81 can be prevented.

In the above configuration, the suction portions 45 and 55 are arranged above the contact surfaces 44b and 54b in the swinging operation and the pressing operation. may be placed at the same height as As a result, the cover member 81 is swung and pushed down by the suction portions 45 and 55 and the contact surfaces 44b and 54b.

Further, in the above configuration, each of the long members 44 and 54 swings so as to move longer to the second side than to the first side. However, the distance by which each elongated member 44, 54 is swung may be the same on the first side and the second side.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, the long members 44 and 54 oscillate in the facing direction and the conveying direction. However, the swinging direction of each of the long members 44 and 54 may be either the facing direction or the conveying direction.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, the lid member 81 is attached to the container 80 by pushing down the lid member 81 with the first elongated member 44 while the second side of the lid member 81 is pressed by the second elongated member 54 . . However, the lid member 81 may be attached to the container 80 by pushing down the lid member 81 with the second long member 54 while the first side of the lid member 81 is pressed by the first long member 44 . Alternatively, the lid member 81 may be attached to the container 80 by pressing the lid member 81 with the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 .

Further, each of the long members 44 and 54 may be formed by a round bar having a circular cross section orthogonal to each longitudinal direction 44a and 54a. As a result, the pressure acting on the lid member 81 by the long members 44 and 54 increases, the pressing force exerted by the long members 44 and 54 can be reduced, and the cost of the lid member mounting device 10 can be reduced.

Furthermore, each elongated member 44, 54 may be formed of a flat plate. As a result, the pressure acting on the lid member 81 by the long members 44 and 54 is reduced, and deformation of the lid member 81 pushed down by the long members 44 and 54 can be suppressed.

The lid member attachment system 70 may further include a camera 74 for acquiring an image of the container 80 conveyed by the conveying section 71, as shown in FIGS. In this case, the transport section 71 may not be provided with the position adjusting section 73 .

The camera 74 is arranged upstream of the lid member attaching device 10 and above the conveying section 71 , acquires an image of the container 80 , and outputs the image to the control section 60 . The control unit 60 acquires the position information of the container 80 based on the image, and moves the first arm 20 and the first arm 20 so that the first elongated member 44 and the second elongated member 54 sandwich the center of the lid member 81 between them. The second arm 30 is operated. In this case, the first longitudinal direction 44a of the first elongated member 44 and/or the second longitudinal direction of the second elongated member 54 may not be parallel to the conveying direction.

All of the lid member attaching devices 10 described above have two arms 20, 30 and end effectors 40, 50 displaced by the arms 20, 30, but may have three or more arms and end effectors.

All of the lid member attaching devices 10 described above are provided with the first suction portion 45 and the second suction portion 55 . However, the lid member attaching device 10 may not include the first adsorption section 45 and the second adsorption section 55 , or may include the first adsorption section 45 or the second adsorption section 55 .

From the above description, many modifications or other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description is to be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. Substantial details of construction and/or function may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The lid member attaching device of the present invention is useful as a lid member attaching device or the like capable of reliably attaching a lid member to a container.

10: Lid member mounting device 11: Carriage (base)
20: first arm 30: second arm 40: first end effector 44: first elongated member 44a: first longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction)
45: first adsorption part (adsorption part)
50: Second end effector 54: Second elongated member 54a: Second longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction)
60 : Control unit 70 : Lid member mounting system 71 : Transport unit 74 : Camera 80 : Container 80b : Opening 81 : Lid member

Claims (4)

A lid member attaching device for attaching a lid member to a container,
a first arm;
a first end effector attached to the first arm and having a first elongated member;
a second arm;
a second end effector attached to the second arm and having a second elongated member;
a control unit;
The control unit
After swinging the first elongated member and the second elongated member on the lid member placed on the container,
so as to move at least one elongated member of the first elongated member and the second elongated member to the container side,
configured to operate the first arm and the second arm;
The control unit
reciprocatingly moving the first elongated member and the second elongated member on the lid member from a predetermined position to one side in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member by a first distance; After reciprocating and swinging a second distance longer than the first distance from the predetermined position to the other side,
In a state where the second elongated member is arranged on the lid member, the first elongated member is moved to the container side on the lid member on the one side of the second elongated member,
A lid member attachment device configured to operate the first arm and the second arm. A lid member attaching device for attaching a lid member to a container,
a first arm;
a first end effector attached to the first arm and having a first elongated member;
a second arm;
a second end effector attached to the second arm and having a second elongated member;
a control unit;
The control unit
After swinging the first elongated member and the second elongated member on the lid member placed on the container,
so as to move at least one elongated member of the first elongated member and the second elongated member to the container side,
configured to operate the first arm and the second arm;
After the first elongated member and the second elongated member are swung, the control section is configured to move the first elongated member and the second elongated member in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member. After moving the first elongated member and the second elongated member in the longitudinal direction of the first elongated member so that the overlap with the , a lid member attachment device configured to actuate the first arm and the second arm. 3. The lid member attaching device according to claim 1, wherein the lid member attaching device is constituted by a robot having the first arm and the second arm as a pair of arms. 4. The lid member attaching apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said robot is a dual-arm robot in which a pair of said arms are coaxial with each other and provided on a base.

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